1. Field
The invention relates to blocking panels for use with racks and cabinets for storing electronic equipment. More specifically, the invention relates to modular blocking panel systems configured to fill openings of any size for racks and cabinets.
2. Related Art
Datacenters that house electronic equipment, such as servers, networking equipment, and computers, have high thermal cooling requirements so that the equipment does not overheat and malfunction. In traditional datacenters, racks or cabinets are arranged in a hot/cold aisle arrangement as shown in FIG. 1. In this layout, the cool air enters sides 102 and the hot air exhausts sides 104. The cold air supply 110 for the room is positioned to deliver cold air to the cold aisle 106 and the hot air return 112 is positioned to draw hot air from the hot aisles 108. The cold air supply 110 can be positioned on the ceiling, on the floor, or on a wall unit, or any combination thereof. The hot air return 112 can be positioned on the ceiling, on the floor, or a return unit at the end of each row, or any combination thereof. This layout eliminates the direct transfer of hot exhaust air from one system into the intake air of another system. The efficiency of the system is greatly improved if air in the cold air aisle 106 and hot air aisle 108 can be kept from mixing.
Blocking panels can greatly enhance the ability to segregate the hot and cold air. Blocking panels are placed in the open front portion of each rack in places where no equipment is mounted. These blocking panels prevent hot air from re-circulating through the rack from the hot air exhaust side to the front cold air intake side of the rack. Blocking panels are also referred to as “blanking panels” and “filler panels.”
Blocking panels are designed in various sizes based on the Electronics Industries Alliance (EIA) unit standard 1U, which equals 1.75 inches in height. This standard is intended to provide overall dimensional design requirements for electronic racks and cabinets that hold and store electronic equipment. Racks and cabinets, as well as the equipment they hold, are designed in multiples of 1U increments. As such, blocking panels are also typically designed in multiples of 1U increments. Blocking panels are supplied in various size increments to fill potential gaps that are in unused spaces of the racks. These increments can include, for example, 1U, 2U, 3U, 4U, 5U, 6U, etc. Therefore, to fill a 5U opening one could use a 5U panel, or install a separate 2U and 3U panel, a separate 1U and 4U panel, or any combination of panels that would total 5U. These panels are separate and need to be purchased and installed individually to fill the required opening.
In additional, traditional blocking panels do not completely block hot air from passing through the rack into the cold air supply, as the junctions between the blocking panels are not completely sealed. This allows hot air to seep through, wasting cold air utilization.
Therefore, a need exists for modular blocking panel systems that allow multiple panels having the same size to be attached to each other to create an airflow blocking system of any size that eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional methods and devices.